Jessica Mesman Griffith is the author of four books, including Strange Journey (2017) and Love and Salt: A Spiritual Friendship in Letters, winner of the 2014 Christopher Award for "literature that affirms the highest values of the human spirit."

Jessica runs a blog and an online community, Sick Pilgrim, and is a regular contributor to US Catholic, America, and other magazines.

Jessica is also founder of Trying to Say God: Re-enchanting the Catholic Imagination, a literary festival at the University of Notre Dame. She has appeared as a guest on NPR's Interfaith Voice, CBC's Tapestry, and on various shows for Relevant Radio and Sirius/XM The Catholic Channel.

Blog Posts by Jessica Mesman Griffith

I am not a creationist or a biblical literalist. I accept evolution, but I believe truth shines through stories, including the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. I figured we would have a talk about evolution at some…

I am not a creationist or a biblical literalist. I accept evolution, but I believe truth shines through stories, including the story of Adam and Eve in the garden. I figured we would have a talk about evolution at some…

Suffering and affliction do unite us with God, but they tend to remove us from others. Depression seals me in a chamber, makes relationship difficult if not impossible. Even the smallest challenges seem insurmountable: it seems clear nobody can help…

"It’s neither sinful nor shocking to imagine that the one who was so highly favored might have counted the cost of such honor, or wondered at her own fiat." Read more: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/goodletters/2013/04/mother-of-sorrows-colm-toibins-testament-of-mary/#ixzz39clPpG3Z

Because I read it in high school, I didn't really understand it, but I never forgot Grendel–a dense, dark retelling of Beowulf from the villain's perspective. The symbols and allusions sailed over my head, but oh, how I indentified with the intelligent, isolated,…

I’m no longer ashamed of what my weak flesh needs to live a life of faith. Any lasting reform will require more than endless resolutions, more than sweet words, even The Word. I need physical intervention—strong coffee and bright lights…

We mean well, but our current obsession with gratitude is just another indication that we’ve lost our heads in a race to make the mundane glorious. We aren’t shocked to find God hiding beneath the salt cellar, as the art…

We mean well, but our current obsession with gratitude is just another indication that we’ve lost our heads in a race to make the mundane glorious. We aren’t shocked to find God hiding beneath the salt cellar, as the art…